Dragon And Phoenix
by FireWingedWolf
Summary: Konoha takes in two teenage girls found in the forest who seem to have strange powers... Summary sucks more than hoovers. NejixOC, SasukexOC. T for language. R&R please! ;D
1. Prologue

**Hi! FireWingedWolf here! Well I decided to start a new story, this one for Naruto! xD  
I know, the one I started on Bleach was discontinued, but I really ran out of ideas for that one. :(  
Anyway.  
Also, this fic is set in the future, so some things may be different to what's happening in Shippuuden now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would not be writing this fic.**

**Enjoy.**

_"See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... we need silence to be able to touch souls."_

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**Prologue**

The cold, winter wind snaked through the thick forest as the snow fell gently onto the hard, frosty ground. The ground was quickly covered with a soft layer of snow, pure and sparkling in the slight, shining glow of the moon. Naruto shivered and pulled the cloak tighter around his body, and trudged on through the white carpet, his feet crunching deep into the thick snow. The wind picked up, and the soft whistling it had been making quickly became an enraged howl. Then, straight after, it dropped back to the eerie whistle. Naruto's head snapped up, suddenly alert.

The winds don't just pick up suddenly, just to drop back down again. No, something wasn't right. The wind was trying to warn him.

Naruto stepped cautiously through the dark forest, trusting his senses to tell him of any danger that approached in the pitch black forest. The only light he had was the light of the moon, and that in itself was somehow not very comforting to him. Nevertheless, it was light. He shuddered again, the cloak proving to be keeping him no warmer than what just his normal clothes would.

He shuffled through the deepening snow, his steps becoming slower due to the rate of falling snow. He kept going, determined to reach the gates of Konohagakure before the snow got much deeper. He sneezed.

'Damn it all, now I have a cold,' He thought, pissed off.

Sniffing, he blew on his hands, which he swore were turning blue. His breath came out as a puff of warm air, contrasting the crisp, freezing air all around him.

Then, he gave a short cry as he bumped into something covered in the snow and fell backwards straight onto his back. Yelping, he jumped up again, the cold snow getting into his clothes and sending shivers down his spine.

Realisation dawning on him, he jumped backwards into a defensive stance, and prepared for if whatever he ran into were to attack. When nothing moved, he edged closer, his curiosity overwhelming his common sense... As usual.

He poked the lump of snow. Whatever was in that snow was either an inanimate object, or...

Better not think about that.

He brushed away some of the snow and his eyes widened. 'It' wasn't an 'it'. 'It' was a _'her'._

Moving away the all the snow, he found out there were two girls lying in the snow. One had a large wound across her bare stomach, while the other seemed to be... sleeping? They both did, actually. The uninjured girl seemed to be leaning over the wounded girl, as if trying to protect her from further harm. He pressed his hand over his left ear and he began to talk into a hidden earpiece.

'I've found two girls in the snow, both alive, one injured. They're in critical condition. Get your ass down here now, Sasuke! Here are my coordinates...'

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**You know, this author really does love those fabby things we like to call 'reviews'. ;)**

**It would make this author very happy indeed if this author would recieve some. ;D**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!**

**FireWingedWolf**


	2. Awakening

**Hi again! I decided to get this finished and posted up as soon as possible. This chappie is longer than the prologue, so don't say I didn't try! xD**

**Anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. I do own Kasumi though. And magic126 owns Nanami.**

Also-

'blah' is thoughts.  
"blah" is speech.

Something's wrong with the font effects right now so it's all weird, but I'll try and fix that later.

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_Sentimental irony is a dog that bays at the moon while pissing on graves._

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**Awakening**

_'Where... Where am I? This... I'm not in the forest. Is this a hospital...? I... hear voices...'_

''Two teenaged... from here... Hokage... see them...''

_'Damn! Can't figure out... what they're saying...'_

''Naruto found them... forest by... in the snow, near dead''

_'It's getting clearer...'_

''Tsunade-sama wishes to speak with them once they awaken, which won't be too long at this rate. They're healing unbelievably fast...''

_'Heh... You don't know the half of it.'_

One of the girls opened her ocean blue eyes. Then, she sat up, and looked around. Two men dressed in white robes stood at the foot of her bed, and she figured that she was definitely in a hospital. But where?

''Hey, one's waking up!''

She sat up. ''Where am I?'' She said in a quiet and cold, but clear voice.

''In Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. You and your friend were found half dead in the forest, unconscious in the snow,'' one of the men explained.

There was a short pause.

''Don't worry, you're safe with us.''

''That's what they all say,'' she growled.

Leaping up from the bed, the girl snarled at the two men. ''Where is Nanami? Why are you helping us?''

''Your friend is here!'' The other man said, panicking.

Her vision snapped sideways, round to the bed next to her. Sure enough, there she was. Nanami.

I shift over to her bedside, and find her whispering my name in her sleep. ''Kasumi... Kasumi...''

'Kasumi's eyes narrowed. She gently shook Nanami awake, and her violet eyes flickered open. She sat up and looked around alarmingly.

''Kasumi! You're alright! But, where are we?'' She murmured, looking wildly around the room.

''I'm fine, yes. We're in the hospital. In Konoha.''

A pause. I feel myself smirk coldly. ''And we're busting out.''

'But Kasumi, it's a hospital! People are injured here!'

''Nanami!''

She flinched a little at my harsh, low tone. Then, her eyes hardened, and her jaw clenched. "Stop it Kasumi. I won't let you hurt people just because you think they're enemies! They helped us!"

"Nanami, anyone can help us for the wrong reasons!"

Another pause.

"...Fine," Nanami muttered.

"You should really learn from your mistakes, Nanami. You'll live longer." Kasumi turned and faced the two medical nin, who were standing a little way off. "Now... I take it you were listening to all that?" The shockingly blue eyes had a steely look to them.

"N-no..." The men stuttered.

"Hn. Well, if you're going to lie about it..."

Quicker than a bolt of lightning, Kasumi snatched the katana lying beside her bed, unsheathed it, and the next second, a spatter of blood showered the wall behind the two men. They cried out as the katana sliced into their mid-sections in one stroke, and collapsed on the floor.

Kasumi sheathed the katana again and hung it back onto a silver sash which she then slung over her shoulder. "Nanami, let's go," She then said.

The two teenagers leaped out the open window and into the sunlight. Landing softly down onto the ground below, they began to sprint through the village, heading for the Main Gate. They were so fast, they were more like two blurs than people.

As the gate came into sight however, they found four people waiting for them. One man looked older than the others with silvery-coloured hair and his ninja headband covering his left eye, while the others, two men and a woman, looked much younger. One had spiky, blonde hair and wore black and orange clothing, while the other boy had black hair and loose clothing with a large purple rope around his midriff and had a katana attached to his side. The girl had short pink hair and wore mainly red clothing.

'I've heard of them...' Nanami thought to herself. 'The newly-reformed Team Kakashi. Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno.'

Kasumi stopped dead, Nanami stopping right beside her.

"Move," Kasumi said simply, her tone indicating that she was in no mood for games.

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Kakashi said calmly.

"I will give you one warning. You do not want to mess with us." Kasumi's voice dropped to a low growl.

"And we'll give you one warning," Naruto replied.

"Stand down," Sasuke watchfully monitored every slight move they made.

Kasumi's fingers twitched slightly.

"Kasumi's not in a good mood... This is bad!" Nanami stated.

"If you try and force your way out, we will attack you," Kakashi said in a warning tone.

"Just try and stop us!" Kasumi disappeared.

Reappearing to the left of their group, she threw a kunai, then disappeared. Before the kunai reached its target, three more were flying towards the Leaf Ninja team.

_'Damn! This girl's fast!'_ Naruto thought as he and the team just barely managed to dodge the kunais.

"That all you got?" Sasuke snorted.

The next second, the girl was right in front of him. They both drew their katanas, and the clashing of metal hitting metal soon rang out over the forest beside them. They were too evenly matched with the swords. Every time one tried to strike, the other blocked.

Kasumi fell back and vanished again, realising that she would just exhaust herself if she kept this up. Reappearing again, katana back in its sheath, she attacked Naruto. A kunai was in her hand, and they fought with kunais for a while. Kasumi went easy on him, as she was watching Nanami fight Sakura. Kakashi and Sasuke were watching them.

Nanami was dodging Sakura's killer punches easily, and Sakura dodging Nanami's kunai strikes with only slight difficulty. Eventually, their attacks both began to get slower, andd their dodges more close to the blows.

Kasumi decided enough was enough.

"Nanami! We're going to use _it_!" She commanded, knowing full well these ninja wouldn't be taken down without using their secret moves.

Nanami nodded.

The two of them fell back. Then, all of Team Kakashi's eyes widened when they saw what happened next.

First, Nanami surprised them by moving her arms in strange, fluent movements, calling forth water from a nearby river and controlling it. She lashed one arm out, and the water whipped out, cutting Sakura's upper arm. She gripped her arm with a small cry.

Then, Kasumi began running, and leaped forward into the air, as if she were diving upwards. Time seemed to slow down. Then, they watched as a soft glow of light enveloped her body. When the light faded, she was still in midair, but there wasn't a human there. Instead, a large, pure white she-wolf landed on the ground with a wolfish grin. Kasumi snarled, then sped towards Sasuke.

While Nanami and her water kept Sakura and Naruto occupied, Kasumi dealt with Sasuke and Kakashi. Sakura and Naruto were soon covered in cuts and bruises by the force of the solid water Nanami was controlling. Sasuke and Kakashi were unscathed, but they were tiring. Sasuke had been forced to activate his sharingan, and Kakashi figured he was going to have to end this pointless fight soon.

"Enough!" Kakashi yelled, lifting his headband from his left eye, revealing the sharingan.

He used the sharingan to use a binding jutsu on Kasumi, then on Nanami.

Kasumi yelped and they both struggled, but the invisible bonds held fast. Then, Kasumi changed from a wolf to a falcon, making the Leaf ninja's mouths drop yet again, but the jutsu sealed her wings and talons. Changing back to a wolf, she kept struggling, determined to break free.

"You can quit trying to break the jutsu now," Kakashi told Kasumi. "You're not going anywhere but back with us to see the Hokage."

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**And there you have it.**

**R&R please, they give me much happiness! ;D **

**Piece of Cheese, out.**

**FireWingedWolf**


	3. Towering

Heyyy guys!!! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long!!!!! o_O First, my laptop broke and all my files were on it so I had to wait AAAAAGES for it to get fixed. Then, when I finally got it back, I HAD WRITER'S BLOCK!!!!!!! Dx

But it's here now, so don't hate me!!!!! Dx

'_Thought_'

"Speech"

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would be rich. Which I am not. Therefore, I don't own Naruto.

Onwards with the story! xD

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For what is it to die, but to stand in the sun and melt into the wind? _

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Once Team Kakashi had dragged Kasumi, who refused to change back to human and wouldn't stop squirming for freedom, and Nanami, who just stayed still and quiet. Apart from the yips and growls from Kasumi, the group stayed silent on the small trek to Tsunade's office. Kakashi knocked politely on the door, and heard Tsunade bark "Come in".

"We've brought the two girls," Kakashi said as they trooped in.

"Ah! Good. I heard they tried to break free earlier and I wasn't sure if you would be able to stop them as we were still unaware of their abilities. Why is there a wolf here?" Tsunade saw the white wolf, who was still growling, and could not stop the surprise from edging into her expression.

"That is Kasumi. She can change her shape at will." Sakura explained.

"Don't talk about me as if I weren't here." Kasumi snarled, voice echoing in the room.

Everyone in the room froze except Nanami, whose expression remained blank.

"Yes, I can talk." Kasumi said exhasperatedly.

"Well... That was..." Kakashi started.

"Unexpected," Naruto finished.

"Yes. Well, I wish to interrogate you two, but I'll wait for now until I get a full report. For now... You both must stay within the city walls. If you refuse, I will have no other choice than to lock you in the high security cells," Tsunade concluded, her expression hard.

"I'll stay within the city walls, but I don't think Kasumi will agree to that. She's only part human. She needs to be wild and free, or she's never happy," Nanami spoke for the first time in Tsunade's presence. Her voice was soft, and she was watching Kasumi worriedly, as if trying to tell her to not cause more trouble than they had already.

"I refuse to...to..._confine _myself to an enclosed area!" Kasumi seethed at the idea.

"Well then, we'll have to resort to other... more animalistic methods of containing her then," Tsunade said, deep in thought.

"Oh no... Don't you dare... No... No, don't you look at me like that. Go away, stop coming over to me..." Kasumi started howling.

"Calm down, it won't hurt you," Kakashi said.

A few minutes later, the group were looking at Kasumi with satisfied looks on their faces. She just sat there looking amusingly bemused.

"... I hate you people."

Kasumi now had a collar on.

"There. That should be enough to keep you under control," Sakura grinned.

Nanami sniggered, much to Kasumi's annoyance. "And what's so funny Nanami?"

"Oh... Just the fact that _you _of all peoplehave a collar on!!" Nanami collapsed with laughter.

"Hn," Kasumi flicked her ear, clearly annoyed.

"Okay, Sasuke, Naruto, you two are Kasumi and Nanami's caretakers. Sasuke, I want you to take Kasumi and _don't let her off the leash_," Kakashi warned. "Sakura is going to make a remedy for Shikamaru and Chouji who were badly injured recently. I trust you two will manage on your own."

"Hai." Sasuke and Naruto chorused.

Sasuke clipped a leash onto Kasumi, and Kakashi lifted the jutsu stopping the two girls' movement. Kasumi immediately leaped up and shook herself, her long, snow-white fur cascading over the lean wolf body. Sasuke couldn't help but marvel at the white wolf. Kakashi bid farewell to them all, then was gone.

"Well... Who's hungry?" Naruto asked, a grin on his face.

"ME!!" Kasumi bounced around.

They all looked at her.

"What?! I always get like this when I'm in another form!" She explained, looking miffed.

"Oh. It comes with the ability?" Sasuke wondered out loud.

"Yeah, it's a total pain in the ass. Usually I hunt, but seeing as that won't be possible-" Kasumi started.

"I'll take you. As long as you promise not to run off, I suppose I can trust you," Sasuke interrupted.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?! Kakashi-sensei told us not to-" Naruto protested, only to be cut off.

"I know what I'm doing," Sasuke said, waving off Naruto's protest.

Kasumi and Sasuke were then out the door and off towards the fields next to the forest while Naruto decided to give Nanami a tour of the village and introduce her to everyone. And, of course, to get ramen.

"So... You can change your form without jutsus? That's impressive," Sasuke said once they were outside.

"Maybe," Kasumi said, not really listening.

"You're not listening are you?"

"Maybe."

"... Hn."

She snorted.

They reached the fields, and Sasuke stopped to let her off the leash.

"You promised, remember_. Don't run off_," Sasuke warned her.

"Okay okay, fine."

Sasuke unclipped her leash and she leaped forward, racing wildly across the field in fluent motion. Her paws flew over the ground, and she held her head high as her sensetive ears picked up the sound of prey. Bounding over the long grass, she jumped. Soaring into the air, a wolf leaped towards the sky, then took off _into_ the sky as a peregrine falcon.

Spreading her wings and issuing a long falcon cry over the lands below, she chased a fleeing pidgeon, hurtling towards it at top speed. A few seconds later, it was dead and in Kasumi's falcon talons. Falling down to the ground, she braked at the last moment and landed gently on the ground.

Letting go of the pidgeon, she changed again. This time, she turned into a midnight-black fox. She devoured the pidgeon quickly, and stood up. In moments, Kasumi's wolf form stood instead.

"Done?" Sasuke asked, sounding bored.

"Maybe."

"Will you stop being so confusing?" He was getting annoyed. Clipping her back on the leash, they went back to find Naruto and Nanami.

When they returned, however, there was panic.

"Wha's wrong? Why is everyone running?" Kasumi asked, alarmed.

"I don't know," Sasuke said, just as alarmed.

Kasumi lifted her head up and sniffed. "Smoke. Lots of it."

"Fire?"

"A big one."

"Can I trust you?" He asked suddenly.

"Is this the best time?" She looked at him.

"Just answer me!"

"Yes, you can trust me."

He swiftly broke the collar. "Then go! Find Nanami and help put out this fire!"

She nodded and ran through the streets towards where the smell of fire was coming from. Leaping up, she managed to get on top of a building. Then, leaping from building to building, she made her way to the fire.

Pricking her ears, she caught the scent of her best friend. '_Nanami!_'

The fire was just ahead of her now. Stopping at the edge of a building, she looked down to see a huge building on fire. '_There it is!_'

She threw her head back and let loose a long, wolf howl.

***  
Nanami coughed. The smoke was thick, and her eyes were watering. "Naruto! Where are you?!" She yelled as loud as she could, smoke filling her lungs and making her choke.

"Nanami!" Naruto's voice was somewhere nearby.

'_Smoke rises up- so the ground should be clearer!_' She thought quickly, one hand over her mouth.

"Go on all fours! It'll be easier to breathe!" She managed to splutter.

Dropping to the ground, she immediately felt better.

"Nanami!" Naruto appeared beside her, also on all fours. "Which way's the exit?!" He looked around.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

A long wolf howl reached their ears. It was faint.

"That! It's Kasumi!" She grinned. "She'll get us out!"

"Don't you have powers?"

"Powers?"

"Yeah! Like how Kasumi can turn into animals and stuff, can you do that too?"

"No... I do have powers, but they're... Well, I'd rather not use them."

"Why? You could get us out easy!"

"No Naruto! I can't!" She hung her head low. "It's my fault we're even in this mess in the first place!"

Naruto blinked. "How?"

"My power is the ability to control elements. Water, wind, earth... and fire."

"Then you could stop this fire!"

"No. I accidentally let some fire loose earlier... Next thing I know, the building is in flames." She closed her eyes.

"That was an accident! You can fix that mistake by putting the fire out!"

Her head sharply rose and her violet eyes snapped open to face his. "And if I lose control again, I could destroy the whole village!"

"But if you don't try, the village will be destroyed anyway!"

She stopped and thought for a minute. Her thinking was disrupted by another long howl from outside.

Raising her head, she yelled. "Kasumi!!!"

"Kasumi!!!" A faint yell came from inside the building.

Kasumi's ears pricked up. "Nanami!"

"Did you hear her?" Sasuke asked. He had caught up to her, following her howling.

"She's inside the building." Her muzzle lowered. "But I don't understand why she isn't using her powers..."

"Powers?" Sasuke repeated, a little confused.

"She can control all four elements. This should be easy for her."

"There must be a reason."

"Stay here. I'm going in," Kasumi padded forward.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Sasuke snapped indignantly.

"Do what you want then."

With that, she was gone. All Sasuke saw was a furry white tail disappearing into the flaming doorway.

"Nanami, just please use your powers!" Naruto pleaded.

She paused. Hearing a scrabbling on the ground, she looked up and saw the white wolf in front of her. "Kasumi!" She grinned.

"Nanami, why the hell are you letting this fire consume you?! You could easily control it!" Kasumi said, nudging her.

"Because..." Nanami paused. 'They're right... This is stupid.' Standing up again and ignoring the smoke, she held out her hands, preparing herself.

"And now we exit," Kasumi led Naruto away and out the building.

When they got out, Kasumi's fur was singed and Naruto was coughing, but apart from that, they were fine. Looking back, the fire raged on. Then, it suddenly died down.

Nanami walked out. She stood for a moment, her eyes shadowed. Then, she lifted her head, and her pale violet eyes burned with fire. Lifting her arm, flames sprung from the ground in a circle around her. The flames lit her face up wit a warm glow, and a determined smirk adorned her face. The flames towered above, reaching for the sky. Towering flames.

Kasumi stared, wolfishly raising one eyebrow. 'Crap... Cocky Nanami equals doom.'

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I know it's not much, but at least it's something... Right? xD

Oh, and for those of you who watch Bleach, I've got a new Bleach story planned. I hate the one I started like, ages ago. If you want me to continue that one or start a new one, then tell me xD M'kay?

Those of you who reviewed gets cookie. xD Enjoy!

AlmightyRandomtard, out.

(Don't ask. I have an alter-ego who has a sidekick. Enough said.)

~FireWingedWolf

P.S: If anyone has an idea they'd like to see happen in this story, feel free to tell me! xD  
P.S.S: Is anyone else having MAJOR problems with the edit document bit for fics??? Mine won't stop giving me grief!! That's why my chapters are so messed up apart from the prologue so, sorry!! Dx


	4. Bond

**Hey! Merry belated Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! xD**_**  
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**Not much to say really. I know the chapters are short, I don't really have any way of telling how long a chapter is until I post it D: I'm working on it though. I'll try and make them longer, I promise. xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it damn it! If I did, there'd be cola. Lots and lots of cola. xD I do own Kasumi though. And my co-author owns Nanami.**

**By the way...**

**NO, the title was NOT inspired by James Bond. Just in case anyone was wondering. It has a much deeper meaning than that! xD**

**Without further ado, on with the story!**

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Kasumi sat on the abandoned rooftop, her eyes closed. Sleeping outside was so much better in her opinion. It was too stuffy inside for her liking. Her long, hazel hair cascaded down her back, shimmering in the faint glow of the moon. It was almost full. Its light washed over her black clothes, reflecting slightly off the black sheath of her katana. Her arms rested on her knees, hands hanging limply. Her fists clenched, the black, fingerless leather gloves tightening over her skin as it stretched to its limit. She sighed. Opening her eyes, she stood up. Gripping the black and red hilt of the katana over her shoulder, she unsheathed it, and held it out in front of her. Her blood-red eyes reflected back at her, while the moon's pale light shined on the sharp metal. The air was cold. Placing a finger on the edge of the blade, she traced the edge, careful not to cut herself.

'_The full moon is almost here._' Kasumi closed her eyes. '_One more day. I don't have long._'_  
_  
A wolf's cry echoed somewhere.

***

Nanami leaned on the window ledge in her room. The Hokage had given the two girls a room to share, for which they were very grateful for even though Kasumi didn't like to show it.

Nanami's thoughts wandered for a while, eventually settling on Kasumi again. While she seemed like a cold, cruel teenager, she did have a heart. She was really very nice, once you got to know her. And as Nanami's thoughts returned to the past, she thought Kasumi had a very good reason to act the way she did. To have a past like that would destroy any normal girl's life. Then again, her own past was no laughing matter either. Her midnight-black hair shimmered as she stood up straight.

'_Better get some sleep. I'm going on 'The Grand Tour of Konoha' with Naruto tomorrow,_' she thought, rolling her eyes. '_Naruto can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he has a kind heart._'

Glancing out the window again, she sighed. '_I wish she would show her caring side more._'

***

The night passed into day, and as the sun was rising, Kasumi woke up from her light sleep. Instantly alert, she froze listening intently. Someone was coming.

Sasuke appeared behind her. "Human again, I see."

Cursing, she shifted into a little orange cat. "Damn you and your sneakiness!" She hissed at him, fur standing on end.

"Sneakiness? I've been here for a while."

"Exactly!" The little cat's back was arched. "Wait, so you were stalking me?! STALKER!!" The cat's claws dug into the roof tiles.

"I'm not a stalker."

"Then why were you stalking me?!"

"I wasn't stalking you!" Sasuke was beginning to lose his temper.

"Will you both _shut it_?!" Nanami's voice came from the window below where Kasumi stood. "It's 5 in the morning for god's sake!"

They fell silent.

"Stalker," Kasumi hissed angrily.

"I told you. I. Am. Not. A. _Stalker._" He hissed back.

Kasumi turned tail, and promptly ran off into the forest. Sasuke sighed, and began to follow her. It was his job to make sure she didn't run off. It had nothing to do with the fact he wanted to follow her.

'_Now that sounded like something a stalker would say._' Sasuke shuddered. No more stalker thoughts.

He silently followed the little cat.

***

'_Stupid Uchiha and his stupid stalker ways_,' Kasumi thought, seething. She growled, the sharp fangs in her mouth baring dangerously. A squeaking mouse scurried away, alarmed. '_Who does he think he is?! _' She swiped her claws, severing a tiny little tree.

Instantly, Kasumi winced. She had felt that tree dying where it stood.

She turned back to human, and touched a fingertip to the slashed stem. Guilt washed over her.

"Don't run off again." A voice echoed from behind her.

She didn't move, still tracing the slash.

"... Kasumi?" Sasuke kneeled down beside her.

"I... I killed it..." She murmured, horrified.

"... It was only a tree..." Sasuke looked at the tree and back to Kasumi. Her eyes were wide with guilt.

"No, you don't understand..." She laid her palm against the deep gashes.

"I would understand if you explained..." Sasuke hinted.

Kasumi abruptly stood up. "Walk with me." She began walking away, regardless of whether he was following or not.

Sasuke stood up, and started following her through the undergrowth on a small dirt path.

"Have you ever heard of a bond by blood?" Kasumi asked suddenly.

"A bond by blood?" Sasuke enquired. He was right beside her now.

She nodded. "It's when two beings each swear an oath to the other by blood, binding them to each other and becoming one entity. I share a bond by blood with the forests. I swore to protect the forest from harm, and in return, the forest gave me life. It's the only reason I'm alive today."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I hadn't sworn that oath, I would have been dead long ago."

"Yes, but how? Why?"

"That doesn't matter now. What matters is that I'm alive."

***

Later on, Nanami wandered through Konoha towards the place Naruto was going to meet her. As she walked, her mind floated to who she would meet today and if they would get any ramen. She loved ramen.

While food ruled over her mind, she didn't look where she was going. Walking straight on, she bumped into someone and fell backwards in shock.

"Ow! Sorry, are you alright?" She automatically looked up at what, or who, she had ran into and saw a teenage boy, about her age, standing in front of her.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," He apologised, helping her up.

"No, I wasn't watching where I was going," Nanami apologised in turn.

She stood up properly. The boy was taller than her, and had long brown hair and loose clothing. His pale violet eyes had no pupils.

"I'm Neji. What's your name?" He asked, introducing himself.

"I'm Nanami."

"Nanami? You wouldn't be the same Nanami that Naruto was going to give the tour of Konoha to, would you?"

"Yes, that's me. Why?"

"He asked me to do it. Said he had an important mission that just got issued." Neji shook his head. "He's a strange one."

"Well, I only really met him yesterday, but I can see he has a good heart," She added.

Neji nodded, agreeing, then turning and motioning to her to follow him. "Come on then, I'll start with the teams that aren't on missions at the moment." He began to lead her through Konoha.

"Okay!" She walked beside him.

After walking around Konoha and familiarising with everyone in it, Nanami decided to find Kasumi. She figured the red-eyed girl had ran off, Sasuke in tow. What she didn't understand was how Sasuke managed to put up with Kasumi's attitude without seriously maiming her. Even Nanami, Kasumi's closest friend had to admit, it was damn hard to stick Kasumi when she acted like this. They'd gotten into plenty fights before.

She yawned, and stretched. They were on a high rooftop overlooking Konoha.

"Where the hell is she?" Nanami wondered out loud.

"Where's who?" Neji looked at her, slightly confused.

"Oh, my friend. She ran off this morning after arguing with Sasuke, and I haven't heard her since. Mind you, it _was _5 in the morning. Hopefully she'll have managed to get some sleep."

"What do you mean?" Neji looked even more confused.

Nanami barely managed to suppress a giggle at his expression. '_He looks cute when he's confused._'

"Well, Kasumi and I are very similar, and yet so distant. She has certain traits the same as me, but with others we're total opposites. It's just who we are." Nanami turned her deep violet eyes to the blue sky, leaning back on her hands.

"That didn't answer my question," Neji pointed out.

"I know." Nanami smiled sweetly.

***

Kasumi had hunted - she was happy for now. What she really felt like now was a proper training session.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

He silently turned to her.

"Is there anywhere I can train?"

Sasuke blinked. Kasumi? Asking _nicely_? "Sure, there's a field not too far from here," he replied slowly, still in shock.

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "I _can _be nice you know."

"Really?" Sasuke's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Fine, if that's how you feel, I _won't _be nice." Snarling, she turned away, and began walking away.

She was just a few steps away when something warm on her shoulder held her back. Looking to her left, a hand pulled her back.

"Alright, I'm... Sorry," Sasuke mumbled.

Obviously, 'sorry' wasn't something Sasuke said often. It seemed hard for him to get the word out.

"Apology accepted," Kasumi turned back to face him. "Does that mean I can go back to being nice?"

"Yes." Sasuke stared at her. '_Strange girl._'

Kasumi's cold crimson eyes softened just a tiny bit. "D'you wanna train with me? It'd make it more interesting."

"Alright. I'll take you to the field." He headed off back down the trail, Kasumi beside him.

As they went wordlessly down the path, something hit him. '_I just realised something..._'

He turned his onyx eyes to her face. '_In all the time I've known her, she hasn't smiled once._'

***

Nanami turned her gaze on the forest. Two people walked out. "Hey, it's Kasumi! And Sasuke too!" She jumped up, a grin spreading across her face.

Neji stayed where he was.

"Coming, Neji? I'm gonna go see them." She looked down at him.

"Do I have much of a choice?" He raised one eyebrow at her excited state. '_This 'Kasumi' person must be important to her._'

"Nope!" She cheerfully sang. "Come on!"

Practically dragging Neji up and off the roof, they went to meet Kasumi and Sasuke.

"Kasumi!" Nanami called as she raced towards the shapeshifter. "Kasumi, where were you?! I was starting to worry!" She scolded.

"S'alright, we were just in the forest. No big deal." Kasumi shrugged. "We were on our way to train actually."

"Train? Isn't it the wrong time for you to be training?" Nanami cocked her head to one side.

"Nanami, you know I can manage during the day just fine. It's not like I'm nocturnal," Kasumi snorted.

"But you know what happened last time..."

"That was a total mistake!" Kasumi argued, a tiny blush tinting her pale cheeks. "Besides, I wasn't planning on training with _that_ today!"

"Whatever you say." Nanami shrugged. "I'm coming with you guys."

Kasumi regained her cold composture, while Neji and Sasuke still stood staring, the same thing running through their heads. '_What the _fuck _just happened?!_'

"Are we going to train or not?" Kasumi's irritated voice rang out.

Sasuke sighed. So did Neji.

"Something tells me this is going to be a very odd training session," Sasuke muttered.

"What was that, Sasuke?" Kasumi sweetly asked, a murderous glint in her eye.

"Nothing, nothing. Nothing at all."

***

**Short, short chapter. Dx I ran out of ideas for it, and I also wanted to give the training its own chapter, as it'll have a few major points to it. It _should _be longer than this one. If not, you officially have permission by me, to kill me. :D**

**This chapter wasn't a filler exactly, it had a few important things to keep in mind, as they'll be revealed soon. Oh, and if you didn't really understand the bit at the start, it'll be explained in the next chapter. It's a very important bit.**

**Also, I'm changing the chapter layouts a bit because for some reason, FF won't let me edit chapters properly D: It keeps going weird and mucking itself up whenever I save any changes I make to the document. So, the chapters will look like this one from now on. I'll edit the last few chapters to make them the same later, but for now I'll leave it. :D**

**Thank you to my reviewers! Lovely, lovely people you are. xD And also to my co-author! Love-age to the co-author. xD**

**Peace out.**

**~FireWingedWolf**


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